Friends in this lesson i am giving you information about ranipokhari located in kathmandu nepal.Read this lesson completely to get more information about ranipokhari in kathmandu.Ranipokhari is a nepali word in which rani means queen and pokhari means pond.If we talk about ranipokhari it is a religious,cultural tourist center.If we look at the facts and history of ranipokhari various question arise such as how ranipokhari was built,who built it, what was there before the ranipokhari was built,why is it considered of historical importance. Ranipokhari located in the center of kathmandu city is not just a pond but it aldo encompasses religious, culture and history.Since the beginning of nepali culture people have been building various temple, ponds, wells,stone stream and ponds in different parts of the country in the name of religion.In fact religious has become the source of nepal culture. It was in this environment that the foundation of ranipokhari was laid during the malla period.In the year 1725 bikram sambat on the third day of the reign of chakravertendra son of king pratap malla of kathmandu he was playing with an elephant.At that time he was young was trampled to death by an elephant while playing with an elephant. History tells us that king pratap malla built ranipokhari to cheer up the queen who was grieving after her son was trampled to death by an elephant.Pratap malla was the son of king lakshmi narasimh malla.The favorite queen of king pratap malla of kantipur was princess anantapriya of bihar.Chakravertendra born from that youngest wife was the yeungest son.In nepal sambat 789 the youngest son chakravertendra was was skao crownd when he was only 13 years old.Around bikram sambat 1726 king pratap malla’s beloved son chakravertendra malla was trampled to death by an elephant.After the sudden death of his son king pratap malla planned to built a pond to console his queen.While building the pond he chose an open field far from the main city of kantipur as a suitable location for the pond.At that time that place was called madanchaur.During the malla period this area was used as a cremation ground as it was very far from the main settlement of the kantipur kingdom.Similarly there was an infant cremation ground bear the present-day trichandra college.King pratap malla considered that cremation ground a suitable place and ordered to dig a pond there.Then a pit was prepared for the pond in a very large area.Then the pond was built at that place.When pratap malla brought water from various pilgrimage sites and ponds as well as water from saptagandaki river, barah kshetra,kaligandaki river he poured it into that pond.In addition he also brought holy water from major pilgrimage sites in india like ganga,yamuna,saraswati and babarasi etc.Thus the king pratap malla had built a pond to console the queen.
According to some historians there are some records related to that pond.In those records the pond is mentioned as nhu pukhu or which means new pond.Nhu pukhu means new ponds in newari language.Then there are different arguments about how the name of that ranipokhari came to be ranipokhari.One historical source records that the pond began to be used in the spring of bikram sambat 1721.It is said that at that time the name of that pond was already ranipokhari.Similarly it is said that after the untimely death of chakravertendra malla son of pratap malla who was on the throne in 1726 bikram sambat king pratap malla built a temple in the middle of pond in the memory of his son and installed a statue of bal gopal.Thus some historians have mentioned that the pond was named ranipokhari in the local language because it was built by king pratap malla.During this time king pratap malla edtablished a temple in the middle of the pond and a temple of shakti bhairab in the north-west corner,a temple of bhairava in the south-west corner,a temple of devi in the south-east corner and a temple of sixten-armed ganesh in the north-east corner.According to the records of bikram sambat 1727 he had built a statue of narayan about 5 feet tall.It is said that the other statues of vishnu were also built on the right and left of that statue of narayan.The temple built in the middle of the pond is based on the pinnacle style and the temple is made of fire-baked clay.It can be said that the burnt clay statues made by king pratap malla well showcase the material arts of that time.Inside the temple thare are statues of ganesh with five heads and ten hands, lord surya, a large vulture,lord narayan with six heads and twelve hands,lord shankar narayan with six heads and twelve hands.Similarly twelve sama, maheshwor,vishnu,gsurava, power of hands,many heads and inactive statues made of concrete can be seen hete and there.A has bridge also been built to reach the temple in the middle of the ranipokhari built by pratap malla.That bridge is made from the middle part of the pond. Similarly to protect the ranipokhari he built a three-feet high wall around it.The notable creations of the ranipokhari built by pratap malla include the plaster elephant installed on the south side of the middle pond and three riders on it.On the south side of the pond anelephant statue with three riders can be seen approximately 10 feet tall,6 feet wide and 12 feet long.The artwork of the elephant made in a ractangular shape about 10 feet high is very well done.The elephant’s back is decorated with a designed carpet made by unknown artisans.A small bell can also be seen hanging from the elephant’s neck.King pratap malla,his two sons chakravertendra and mahipatendra malla are depicted sitting on an elephant statue.Pratap malla and his sons are dressed in royal attire and turbans.Similarly the sculptor can be seen to have been able to showcase his skills in making the statue well.The most astonishing sight in the strange objects in the shape of a ball wrapped around in an elephant trunk.A deformed humanoid figure with long hair can be seen holding the trunk of the elephant.Historians say that king pratap malla after being immersed in a spell could use invisible forces and communicate directly with the kichkanya or witch.Base on this folklore it is said that the human-like object wrapped around the tip of an elephant’s trunk is the son of king pratap malla’s other wife kichkanya.
According to the story related to this after the construction of the pond pratap malla always used to go for a walk in the pond every morning.In the meantime a virgin girl also used to go for a walk in the pond.As the days passed the relationship between the virgin girl and king pratap malla began to grow closer.Not only that the girl gradually became pregnant. The child in the girl’s womb belonged to king pratap malla.Because of this king pratap malla started getting sick day by day.He tried many medicines but the disease was not diagnosed. This was because the baby in the womb of the virgin girl eho used to go for a walk in that pond was causing the king pain.Then pratap malla started looking for a way to kill the baby in the virgin girl’s belly.In the meantime king prayap malla decided to go to the enchanter.King pratap malla and the spellcasters who knew the incantations killed the child in the womb of a virgin girl using the incantation method.Before building the pond king pratap malla raped a 13-years-old girl.Then the 13-years-old girl died a few days later.Thus after the girl’s death her bidy was burried in the same place wher the pond was made.Thus the place where the girl was burried and after pratap malla built the pond in that place the girl used to visit the pond as a young girl.Later it was found out that the decased 13-years-old girl used to go to that pond to hurt king pratap malla.When that girl always went to the pond used to go to the pond she would wander around as a young woman disguised as a kichkanya or witch.That girl had tricked pratap malla into becoming a young woman in the guised of a kichkanya and had become pregnant.After killing the child in kichkanya’s womb the dead son of that kichkanya took the form of a raged ball and started terrorizing the people who come there.Impressed by this a person skilled in incantation brought the plaster elephant to life with the power of incantation and the elephant’s trunk is holding the round ball like a ghost.It is said that the elephant’s trunk also used to transform the ghost-like ball into plaster through incantation.Whatever the story ghost stories were very popular at that time and such incidents are considered common nowadays.After king pratap malla built the temple and ranipokhari he created an inscriptions to preserve his work for ages.In that inscriptions a cures is placed on a person who demolishes the temple,throws garbage in the pond or commits suicide in the pond.That such a person will live in hell for years,will be guilty of killing the bodies of brahmins,teachers and women’s children,will be guilty of eating other inedible things and will be guilty of destroying of shivalingas.
The ranipokhari built by pratap malla has recently shrunk.The pond has been transformed by the construction of buildings and roads around it.In additions the establishment of durbar higher secondary school in bikram sambat 1910 ,the establishment of ghantaghar in bikram sambat 1957 and the establishment of trichandra college in bikram sambat 1975 made ranipokhari even smaller.However the construction of the bal gopaleshwor temple in the middle of ranipokhari which was damaged by the great earthquake in bikram sambat 2072 remove the dome style. After that the tempke was built following the pinacle style built during the reign of king pratap malla. Ranipokhari which has an area of 62 ropani 13 anas rewuires about 3400000 liters of water.It does not seem possible to fill the ranipokhari with water from outside in such a large pond but there is a plan to fill the ranipokhari with water by installing a water pipe from the melamchi river.In case of water shortage in this ranipokhari boring will be dug in the north and south corners of the pond.After that it can be seen that an arrangement has been made to collect rainwater in one corner of the ranipokhari. Currently the ranipokhari which has an area of 31954.0983 square meters rewuires aporoximately 3400000 liters of water.It did not seems possible to fill the ranipokhari with water from outside.Therefore it can be said that it was agreed to fill the ranipokhari with water by installing a water pipe brought from the melamchi river.Talking about the history of ranipokhari the ranipokhari is known as kamal pukhu in newari language.Another name for this ranipokhari is jagamar pukhu.In newari language jagamar pukhu means that this pond has no foundation that is there are no bricks and stones at the bottom of the pond there is only mud on it.In another language this pond is also known by another name. Since it is near the jamaleshwor mahadeva place it can be said that this pond is named jamal pukhu.The temple in the middle of ranipokhari is especially crowded on the day of bhaitika of the nepali festival tihar.On that day brothers and sisters who do not have brodrers come to the temple of bal gopal and worship.Similarly sisters who do not have brothers come to this temple and apply tika or colorful spot to their brothers who have come to apply tika there.There is an arrangement to open the temple’s doors only on the day of bhaitika of tihar festival to visit the temple in the middle of this pond.Friends how did you like the information sbout ranipokhari ?If you find any shortcomings in this information please comment in the comment box.
